Monday, September 06, 2010

Paul Conrad: 1924 — 2010

With the Internet and hundreds of cable channels, newspaper cartoonists don’t have the impact they used to. But in several decades as the Los Angeles Times’ resident cartoonist — plus being syndicated in hundreds of other papers — Paul ConradRuled! He was the REASON to buy the L.A. Times.

He received three Pulitzer Prizes — 1964, 1971 and 1984. Only two other political cartoonists have ever achieved that.

And an even bigger honor — Paul Conrad was part of Richard Nixon’s Enemies List. Nixon was probably the most common target of Conrad’s cartoons, even after he fled the White House with his tail between his legs.

His drawing style had a harsh, angry look to it. You could just picture him boiling with fury as he drew. In a PBS documentary about Conrad, Tom Brokaw said:

“Every line he draws cries out to the powers that be, 'We're watching you.'“